Clint was leading us around a building he was inspecting for a friend. I was taking pictures to help him remember so he could answer questions later. There were some tall weeds and lots of dense vegetation on either side of the path we walked. Clint must have stepped on the Eastern Ratsnake you see heading to the "crawl."
When he stepped on it, it came straight towards me, passed me, and went around a bush, u-turned, and headed for the crawl. I had been focused on the crawl looking for animal signs to help Clint identify what was using it. I turned to look back at Clint and jumped when I saw the snake headed towards me but quickly realized it was just getting away from Clint's boots. It let me get a few pictures before it slowly descended into whatever horrors are beyond that hole.
This snake's checkerboard pattern extends past its chin area which is how I know it is an Eastern Ratsnake and not a Northern Black Racer. I suspect its hunting in the field and waterfront near this home. That's a pretty large crawl it's using, btw. Raccoon? Fox? I don't know, but this homeowner had some extra tenants. I snapped what images Clint needed and kept going.
